Why can nobody beat your uncle’s signature BBQ rib? What’s so special about your grandma’s lasagna that makes it the king and the queen of all the cheesy lasagnas? When a recipe is pushed to the max and there’s not a single drop or more love to add to the meal, cooking secrets come into play.
So take your notebooks out, everyone, we’re about to take our cooking skills to a whole new level thanks to this awesome bunch of people sharing their “I’ll never tell” cooking secrets.
After all, it’s such a nice feeling to be an unbeatable grand master in one dish that conquers the hearts of strangers and puts smiles on people’s faces.
#21
Half sour cream, half greek yogurt for tzatziki - so much richer.
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70points
#22
My snickerdoodle recipe. People love them. They are chunks of Pillsbury sugar cookie dough, rolled in cinnamon and sugar. Stupid easy. I will never tell.
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69points
#23
I add pickle juice to tuna or chicken salad. Gives it just the right amount of tartness.
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69points
#24
I've never been the type to have a secret like this, but if people knew how much cinnamon I used they might have questions. I add it to a lot of dishes to add some earthiness and depth, but not in amounts where you can actually taste cinnamon.
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64points
#25
I worked at Jimmy John's and they had us use a little soy sauce in the tuna salad. I've been making it that way ever since.
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62points
#26
Instead of milk, I use full fat vanilla or plain yogurt in my bathing mixture for French toast. It turns out perfectly every time.
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62points
#27
If I boil dry beans to rehydrate and cook them, I'll throw in a marrow bone at the very beginning. The beans soak up the fat and have a luxurious, creamy texture.
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60points
#28
I add a dash of cinnamon sugar into any red meat dish or red sauce. Or tomato soup for that matter.
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53points
#29
Try putting a decent amount of butter in a red sauce. It will taste twice as good and no one will be able to guess the secret.
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52points
#30
My wife came back from Norway in love with a MAGIC spice we searched for everywhere. It's MSG.
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50points
#31
I buy Costco cashew clusters and use the crumbs at the bottom of the bag as part of my flour when making cookies. People always go crazy for them.
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49points
#32
I make my potato salad for most family gatherings and there’s a few secrets:
Onions are often argued about with potato salad, but a quarter of one that’s minced til it’s basically water (or grated I guess) is what I use and no one is ever any the wiser. That plus the chives garnish makes it delicious even to people who hate onions.
Use huge potato chunks and over cook them, so that when you mix they disintegrate a bit into the mayo and stuff, and you’re left with now-regular sized chunks. Takes some time to find the perfect amount of overcooked, but you learn quick.
Two benefits: the potatoes seem to soak up more of the sauce (so make sure you fridge it and then add more the next day) and the sauce tastes more integrated. Plus now your chunks are normal sized and feel more naturally shaped.
That plus horseradish to balance out the savory without thinning the salad and you have a winner
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48points
#33
Oh my goodness. Sushi rice. Microwave. I’m embarrassed to admit it. It always made such a mess in the pot, would stick or overflow, crunchy or mushy, I could never, ever get it right - even following packet instructions to the letter. I almost gave up on making sushi.
Then on a whim, I tried it in the microwave. Sushi rice, water from the top of the rice to first knuckle of my index finger. Sensor cook - White rice - Start. My life was changed. Perfect texture, no starch all over my stove, no burnt pot.
As a bonus, I even just use regular home brand white vinegar to season it. For every cup of uncooked rice, 1/2c vinegar, 2 tablespoons of sugar and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.
Everybody loves my sushi.
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46points
#34
If I cook anything that requires bread crumbs, I use chicken-flavored StoveTop stuffing instead
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43points
#35
Mayo instead of butter on the outside of grilled sandwiches.
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43points
